Helping Hand - This site helps Michigan citizens facing economic hardship find the services they need. Simply click on one of the five tabs below for links to information about jobs and training, unemployment benefits, health care, family support and housing.
Michigan Works - Search the Talent Bank for jobs or register as a user, post a resume, and keep the account up to date. Employers use this site to view resumes for job openings.
Michigan Jobs and Career Portal hosted by the State of Michigan has listings of jobs open in a variety of communities throughout Michigan.
Business and Jobs Gateway - The Michigan e-Library has put together a list of resources which access many of the same job-related sites, but from a central location.
Searching for a job in Ohio? Try Ohio Works. This is one of Ohio’s main job sites, allowing job seekers to post their resumes and search for jobs throughout the state. The Source is another well-known job-searching website specific to Northwest Ohio. File for unemployment at Ohio Unemployment Benefits Online.
An announcement was made by Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, stating that several companies have made commitments to Michigan which will create over 7,700 new jobs in the state. These companies are listed in a press release with an explanation of the project as well as links to company websites.
Keep Michigan Working. This site from the State of Michigan provides access to No Worker Left Behind information, Veterans Employment Opportunities, Job Fair listings, High Demand Careers explored by area, and much more.
Labor Department Reemployment Portal hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor has announced a new Career One Stop reemployment portal. The website is designed to provide employment, training, and financial assistance during the process of job transition. Users can find information on unemployment insurance benefits, health-care coverage, dealing with job loss, and job hunting, and much more.
According to its website, Indeed.com is “the most comprehensive job search service on the Web.” Simply type a job title, keyword or company of interest and Indeed will return postings compiled from company career sites, job boards, and even newspaper want ads all around the Web. These results can be narrowed by city, state, or zip, and will lead searchers to contact information regarding jobs in their field.
Career and Businesslinks on our website. Located in the Recommended Sites section of eResearch and includes more links and a list of new business and career books available at the library.
Resume Sites
Emurse is a free resume building and job-hunting website that allows users to build, print, save, and/or store a resume. Job hunters also have an option to make the resume available for online viewing. Emurse takes care of the organization, the formatting, and converting the file. It also provides writing tips. Sponsored by AOL, this site requires users to create an account, but it offers its service free of charge.
Learning Express Library (Learn-A-Test) is a database to which the Monroe County Library System subscribes. Not only are free online practice tests available for brushing up on mathematical, reading, and writing skills, but a link to Job Search and Workplace Skills offers free online courses for resume building and cover letter creation. To log on, users must first visit their local library branch and create a username and password. Thereafter, users can access Learn-A-Test from their home computer or any other remote location.
Careerbuilder.com offers sample resumes. Clicking the view button to the right of each resume type displays a sample of that style with suggestions for input under each section heading.
Professional Resumes website explains each step in the process of building a resume. Follow links on the left to sample resumes by occupation, information about cover letters, and tips for job searching and interviewing.
Microsoft Word 2007 All branches of the Monroe County Library System have public computers available with Microsoft Word 2007 software. Job seekers are invited to visit the library and use a public computer to create a resume using templates available on Word. Templates make creating a resume easy because the format is already set up; all the job seeker has to do is fill in their own information. Staff are available to provide navigational help including printing, saving, and emailing the resume as an attachment.
Every Branch in the Monroe County Library System has a stock of books or DVDs that help readers create resumes, write cover letters, perform job searches, and prepare for interviews. Be sure to check the MCLS online catalog and place a request for these essential resources.
The Federal Reserve System has established Foreclosure Resource Centers to provide resources for small municipalities, housing counselors, and consumer and community groups to local communities.
HOPE NOW describes itself as “an alliance between counselors, services, investors, and other mortgage market participants to maximize outreach efforts to at-risk homeowners and help them stay in their homes.” The site offers contact information for mortgage companies and counselors by area.
Helping Hand - This site helps Michigan citizens facing economic hardship find the services they need. Simply click on one of the five tabs below for links to information about jobs and training, unemployment benefits, health care, family support and housing.
Avoiding Foreclosure: A guide for Michigan homeowners is a brochure put out by Mike Cox, Michigan’s Attorney General. The publication offers general information foreclosure, alternatives to foreclosure, and current mortgage scams.
Save the Dream Campaign - The Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Save the Dream helps homeowners experiencing financial difficulties or facing financial problems. A toll-free phone number connects homeowners with home ownership counselors in their county that specialize in foreclosure prevention.
GreenPath Debt Solutions is a non-profit company offering a range of debt assistance, to consumers since 1961. It is also known as the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Michigan. Credit card, medical bill, car loan, and mortgage counseling are all available.
Tips For Making Every Dollar Count
The U.S. Government provides information and services about personal finance from a wide range of topics such as credit and debt to retirement and managing money.
Jean Chatzky offers a Practical Money Skills Series in order to bring financial literacy to the public. Topics include Employer Provided Benefits, Choosing Health Insurance, Apartment Hunting, Setting Allowances, Reducing Debt, Buying a Car, and much more
State of Michigan offers tips and a variety of ways to save money during this economic crisis. Choose from several topics in the dropdown menu.
Life on a Shoestring Budget offers “tips for squeezing the most out of your limited finances.” Articles include suggestions for eating cheap, buying a used vehicle for under $2500, and vacationing on a “shoestring.”
Operation Energy Save, presented by AARP, provides a checklist of energy-saving tips to use at home and share with neighbors.
MBTeach - Attend or sponsor a free class on financial literacy through MBTeach. Learn about checking accounts, budgeting, identity theft protection, credit reports, and first-time home buying through programs titled Check it Out!, Money Matters, Keep it Safe, To Your Credit, and Your First Home. For more information on locations or to set up a class call 384-8269.
Michigan Rideshare is a carpooling program administered by matching riders using special software. It is offered by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) for commuters who are trying to save money and energy. It is free and available to commuters over the age of 18 with a regular schedule and whose work/school location falls within Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties. Commuters need not commute every day to take advantage of this service. An article detailing the program is available on page 8 of SEMCOG’s newsletter.
Where To Turn For Help In Monroe County
Free Cell Phone Assistance for Low Income Consumers? More than 20 years ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began to assist income-eligible consumers who were unable to afford telephone service with programs called Lifeline and Link Up. In 2008 the Lifeline program expanded its assistance to include cell phone service. Reachout Wireless and Safelink Wireless are two companies working with the FCC to provide cell phone service to those eligible. To find out more, visit the links provided. Step by step directions through either service are available through the following links:
Monroe County Opportunity Program works to reduce the effects of poverty for Monroe County residents by administering federal, state, local and private funding into services and programs that provide “…emergency services, community food programs, housing quality and energy services, transportation, home care, home chore, and resource advocacy.” MCOP is a member of the larger
Michigan Community Action Agency Association, whose website is also filled with beneficial community information that will lead residents to information about weatherization assistance, free/low cost heath clinics in Michigan, statewide job resources and training, and much more.
Godworks Family Soup Kitchen offers a hot meal seven days a week in the City of Monroe as well as once a week in Dundee, Flat Rock, and Temperance. Their mission is to provide “not only food, but also an environment of care, love, support, and safety to those who come through our doors.” This site lists the locations for each meal and offers directions to the churches.
Local food pantries with addresses and phone numbers as well as days and times of operation.
Angel Food Ministries distributes a box of food per family unit each month. The menu varies from month to month, but will consistently feed a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. Host sites in Monroe County include the Dundee Assembly of God Church, the Monroe Church of the Nazarene, and the Bedford Church of the Nazarene. See Angel Food Ministries? website for more information.
Local shelters operating in Monroe County, MI and Toledo, OH.
